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44th Smuggling Operations: Volume I - The Beginner's Guide

Classified Operational Doctrine & Logistics Manual


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Foreword

This manual is for the absolute beginner. We assume you have less than 10 hours of flight time and know nothing. Every instruction is literal and specific. Do not deviate from these steps. Your survival and profitability depend on your discipline and ability to follow instructions precisely. Master this volume, and you will be ready for advanced operations.

Table of Contents

  1. Core Concepts: The Absolute Basics
  2. Your First Ship: The Avenger Titan
  3. Your First Upgrades: A Step-by-Step Shopping Trip
  4. Your First Mission: A Legal Delivery Run
  5. Your First Illegal Run: The "Slam" Route

1. Core Concepts: The Absolute Basics

This section covers the fundamental knowledge you need to operate in the verse. Read it, memorize it, practice it.

Your mobiGlas: Your Most Important Tool

  • What it is: The mobiGlas is your wrist-mounted computer. It is how you interact with everything in the game that isn't directly in front of you.
  • How to use it:
    • Press F1 to open and close your mobiGlas.
    • The icons at the bottom of the screen are your apps. The most important ones for now are:
      • Comms (looks like a speech bubble): Used to talk to your contacts and request landing/departure clearance.
      • Starmap (looks like a diamond): Your navigation system. This is how you plot quantum travel routes.
      • Contract Manager (looks like a stack of papers): Where you find and accept missions.

Quantum Travel: How to Get Around

  • What it is: Quantum Travel is the "faster-than-light" travel in Star Citizen. It is how you get from planets to moons or across the system.
  • How to use it (step-by-step):
    1. You must be in open space, clear of any obstacles like space stations or asteroids.
    2. Press the 'B' key. Your ship's computer will bring up all possible destinations on your HUD.
    3. Point your ship's nose at the destination you want to go to. The destination marker will show "SPOOLING" and "CALIBRATING".
    4. Hold down the 'B' key. The calibration bar will fill up.
    5. Once the bar is full, you will automatically jump to your destination.

ASOP Terminals: How to Get Your Ship

  • What they are: ASOP terminals are the screens you use to retrieve your ships from storage. They are found in every spaceport and station.
  • How to use them:
    1. Walk up to any ASOP terminal (they are usually black or grey screens with a keyboard).
    2. Press 'F' to interact with the terminal.
    3. A list of your available ships will appear. Select the ship you want.
    4. Click the "Retrieve" button.
    5. The screen will tell you which landing pad or hangar your ship has been delivered to (e.g., "Pad 04", "Hangar 02").
    6. Follow the signs in the station to the elevators for that pad/hangar.

Grim HEX: Your New Home

  • What it is: An outlaw space station hidden in the asteroid belt of the moon Yela. It is our primary base of operations because there is no law enforcement.
  • How to get there (from Everus Harbor, a common starting point):
    1. Retrieve your ship at an ASOP terminal in Everus Harbor.
    2. Take off and fly a few kilometers away from the station.
    3. Press F2 to open your Starmap.
    4. In the Starmap, find the large planet Crusader. Double-click it to zoom in.
    5. Find Crusader's moon named Yela. Double-click it.
    6. You will see a marker for Grim HEX. Click on it.
    7. Click the "Set Route" button at the top of the Starmap. This will mark it as your destination.
    8. Press F2 to close the Starmap.
    9. Press 'B' to activate your Quantum Drive, align with the Grim HEX marker, and hold 'B' to jump.

Stanton System Map:

Stanton System Map

The Stanton system showing Grim HEX's location in Yela's asteroid belt (marked in red). This is your primary base of operations.

Signatures (EM/IR): How to Be a Ghost

  • What they are: Your ship's visibility to others. Low is good, high is bad.
  • How to see them: In your pilot's seat, look at your main screen (HUD). You will see two numbers. One is labeled EM (electromagnetic), the other is IR (infrared/heat).
  • How to lower them (The Holy Trinity of Stealth):
    1. Turn off your weapons: Press the 'P' key. Watch your EM number drop.
    2. Turn off your shields: Press the 'O' key. Watch your EM number drop even more. WARNING: Do this only when you are confident you are not about to be attacked. Flying without shields is extremely dangerous.
    3. Turn off your engines: Press the 'I' key. This will stop your engines and drastically reduce your IR signature. You will coast silently. This is a key skill for approaching landing zones without being noticed.

Practice these actions. Sit in your ship on a landing pad and press these keys. Watch how your signature numbers change. This is the foundation of everything we do.

Signature Management System:

Stealth Signatures

Visual guide to signature reduction. Ghost Mode (all systems off) makes you nearly invisible to scanners.

2. Your First Ship: The Avenger Titan

As a new recruit, you will begin your career in the Aegis Avenger Titan. This ship is the perfect learning platform. It is agile, has a small cargo bay, and can handle a fight if necessary. Your goal is to master this ship before moving on to larger, more expensive vessels.

Key Characteristics

  • Role: Scout / Light Freighter
  • Strengths: Good speed and maneuverability, has a cargo bay accessible from the outside and a living area inside, surprisingly tough for its size.
  • Weaknesses: Small cargo capacity, not powerful enough to fight dedicated combat ships.

Your Job in the Titan

Your primary role in the Titan is Scouting. When the 44th runs a major cargo operation with a large ship like a C2 Hercules, you will be the one who flies ahead. You are the eyes of the fleet. Your responsibilities include:

  1. Jumping First: You will always be the first to jump to a new location.
  2. Clearing the Landing Zone: You will fly to the destination outpost or station and check for hostile players or NPCs. You must be specific in your communication. For example:
    • Good call: "This is Scout 1. I am at Rupture Farms. I see two player ships on the ground, a Cutlass Black and a Constellation. Pad 02 is open. Hostiles are not moving. I advise holding your jump."
    • Bad call: "There are guys here."
  3. Providing Overwatch: While the cargo ship is on the ground loading, you will fly a high-altitude patrol above them, watching for any approaching ships and providing early warning.

Mastering the Titan means mastering situational awareness, clear communication, and evasive flying. Your life and the lives of your wingmen depend on it.

3. Your First Upgrades: A Step-by-Step Shopping Trip

Flying a stock ship is a death sentence. The components a ship is sold with are cheap and inefficient. Your first priority is to upgrade your Avenger Titan. This section is a literal, step-by-step guide to your first shopping trip.

Starting Point: You are at Grim HEX with your stock Avenger Titan and at least 150,000 aUEC in your account.

Shopping Trip Workflow:

Shopping Trip

Follow this route to upgrade your ship components at New Babbage.

Step 1: Fly to New Babbage

  1. Retrieve your Avenger Titan from the ASOP terminal at Grim HEX.
  2. Take off and fly clear of the station.
  3. Open your Starmap (F2).
  4. Find the planet microTech. Double-click it.
  5. Find the city New Babbage. Click it and Set Route.
  6. Close the Starmap (F2) and Quantum Travel (B) to New Babbage.
  7. As you approach, your HUD will show markers for the spaceport. Follow them in.
  8. Contact New Babbage ATC (Air Traffic Control) to request landing. Open your mobiGlas (F1), go to the Comms tab, select New Babbage from the list, and click the icon that looks like a ship with a down arrow.
  9. ATC will assign you a hangar. A wrench icon will appear on your screen. Fly to that hangar, land your ship, and power it down (U).

Step 2: Navigate to Omega Pro

  1. Exit your ship and find the elevator in the hangar. Take it to the Spaceport Terminal.
  2. Follow the signs for the Metro Loop.
  3. Get on the train heading to The Commons.
  4. Exit the train at The Commons. Walk straight ahead. You will see a large, open area with shops.
  5. On your left, you will see a store called Omega Pro. This is your destination.

Step 3: Buy Your Components

  1. Enter Omega Pro and find the blue shopping terminals.
  2. Interact with a terminal (F). You will now buy the following three components for your Avenger Titan:
    • Quantum Drive: Select the "Quantum Drives" category. Find the Atlas drive. Click "Buy".
    • Power Plant: Go back to the main category screen. Select "Power Plants". Find the JS-300. Click "Buy".
    • Shield Generator: Go back. Select "Shields". Find the FR-66. Click "Buy".
  3. Confirm your purchases. The items are now in your local New Babbage inventory.

Step 4: Return to Your Ship and Equip the Components

  1. Leave Omega Pro and take the Metro Loop back to the Spaceport.
  2. Go to the ASOP terminals in the spaceport and retrieve your Avenger Titan again. This brings it back to a hangar.
  3. Go to the hangar and open your mobiGlas (F1).
  4. Select the Vehicle Loadout Manager app (it looks like a ship with grid lines).
  5. At the top, make sure your Avenger Titan is selected.
  6. You will see a list of component slots. Click on "Quantum Drive".
  7. On the right, you will see a list of drives you own. Find the Atlas you just bought and click "Equip".
  8. Repeat this process for the "Power Plant" (equip the JS-300) and the "Shields" (equip the FR-66).
  9. Click "Save Changes and Equip" at the bottom.

Step 5: Return to Grim HEX

  1. Your Titan is now upgraded. Get in, take off from New Babbage (remember to request departure from ATC), and fly back to Grim HEX.
  2. Land at Grim HEX and store your ship at an ASOP terminal. This sets your new home base with your upgraded ship.

Congratulations. You have completed your first successful component upgrade run. You are now better equipped to handle the dangers of the verse.

Before we break the law, we need to learn the basic mechanics of picking up and dropping off cargo. We will do this with a simple, legal delivery mission. This will teach you how to use the Contract Manager and how to interact with cargo depots.

Starting Point: You are at Grim HEX in your newly upgraded Avenger Titan.

Step 1: Find and Accept a Mission

  1. Open your mobiGlas (F1).
  2. Go to the Contract Manager app.
  3. Along the top, click on the "General" tab.
  4. Look for missions under the "Delivery" sub-tab.
  5. Find a simple mission. A good first choice is one that says something like "Delivery Request: Package to Covalex Hub Gundo". The pay will be low (around 8,000 aUEC), but that is not the point. The point is the practice.
  6. Click on the mission to see the details. It will tell you where to pick up the package and where to drop it off.
  7. Click "Accept Offer".

Step 2: Pick Up the Package

  1. The mission is now active. A marker will appear on your HUD directing you to the pickup location. Let's say it's a mining outpost on the moon Daymar.
  2. Retrieve your Avenger Titan from the ASOP terminal and fly to the pickup location.
  3. Land your ship on a designated landing pad.
  4. Exit your ship and follow the marker to the building where the package is located.
  5. You will find a small, hand-carryable box. Walk up to it and press 'F' to pick it up.
  6. Carry the box back to your ship. The Avenger Titan has a rear ramp. Open it by finding the interaction point on the outside of the ramp and selecting "Open Ramp".
  7. Walk inside with the box and place it on the floor of your cargo bay by left-clicking.

Step 3: Deliver the Package

  1. A new marker will now appear on your HUD for the drop-off location (e.g., "Covalex Hub Gundo" on the moon Cellin).
  2. Fly to the drop-off location.
  3. Land your ship.
  4. Go to your cargo bay, pick up the box, and carry it to the delivery kiosk. This will be a machine that looks like a large locker.
  5. Follow the on-screen prompt to place the box in the machine.

Step 4: Get Paid

  1. As soon as you place the box in the machine, the mission is complete.
  2. You will see a notification on your screen: "Contract Complete". The mission payment will be automatically transferred to your account.

You have now learned the full gameplay loop of a delivery mission: accept, fly, pick up, fly, drop off. We will now apply this knowledge to a more profitable, and more dangerous, enterprise.

5. Your First Illegal Run: The "Slam" Route

This is your first real smuggling run. It is identical to the legal delivery mission you just completed, but with two key differences: the cargo is illegal, and the pickup location is hidden. We will be flying our Avenger Titan to buy the drug "Slam" and selling it at Grim HEX.

Starting Point: You are at Grim HEX in your upgraded Avenger Titan.

Slam Route Flowchart:

Slam Route

Complete mission workflow from Grim HEX to Riker Memorial and back. Follow the green path for success.

Step 1: Travel to Riker Memorial Spaceport

  1. Retrieve your Titan and take off from Grim HEX.
  2. Open your Starmap (F2), find ArcCorp, and set your route to Riker Memorial Spaceport.
  3. Quantum travel to the spaceport.

Step 2: Find the Hidden Drug Lab

  1. This is the specific, secret part. As you approach Riker Memorial Spaceport, do not fly to the main, well-lit landing pads.
  2. Instead, fly down and around to the underside of the station. You are looking for a small, isolated platform with a single, small building on it. It is unlit and unmarked.
  3. This can be difficult to find. Circle the lower structures of the station slowly until you spot it. It is often referred to as the "secret drug lab".
  4. Land your Titan on this platform. You are unlikely to be scanned here, but it is still wise to be quick.

Step 3: Buy the Slam

  1. Exit your ship and go into the small building.
  2. Inside, you will find a single, unlabeled trading console.
  3. Interact with it (F). Select the "Buy" tab.
  4. The only commodity available will be "SLAM". Select it.
  5. Select your Avenger Titan as the destination.
  6. Click the "Max" button to buy as much as your ship can hold. Confirm the purchase.
  7. The Slam will be automatically loaded into your Titan's cargo hold. You do not need to carry boxes for this.

Step 4: Return to Grim HEX and Sell

  1. Get back in your ship immediately. Do not waste time.
  2. Take off and fly away from Riker Memorial Spaceport.
  3. Once you are in open space, open your Starmap and set your route back to Grim HEX.
  4. IMPORTANT: Do not fly directly to Grim HEX. Jump to a nearby Orbital Marker first, like Crusader OM-1, to make your approach less predictable.
  5. From the OM, then jump to Grim HEX.
  6. Land at Grim HEX and store your ship.
  7. Go to one of the main trading consoles in the station (the same ones you would use for legal goods).
  8. Select the "Sell" tab.
  9. Select your Avenger Titan from the dropdown list.
  10. Select "SLAM" from your cargo and click "Max".
  11. Confirm the sale.

You have now completed your first illegal trade. You took a significant risk and were rewarded with a much higher profit than any legal delivery mission could offer. This is the core of smuggling.